|
This site is for sale, for information click below:
What is Latent Semantic Indexing?
Latent Semantic Indexing, or LSI, is a way for search engines to view and rank web pages in a more natural, or human, manner. Behind the scenes the LSI algorithms analyze pages not only for keywords, but also for synonyms and other related words which might be expected to be present. For example, a web page about barbecues, when analyzed with LSI, should logically also contain such related words as “grill”, "patio", "sauce", "recipe", “charcoal” and/or "smokers". In general, while we do not know the exact mathematical formula used for LSI, we do know that its real function is to determine if the content of a site is of value to the visitor or not.
HISTORY OF LSI
Why, and how, did LSI come about?
In 2003 Google purchased a company called Applied Semantics whose software technology was used to extract and organize information from websites in a manner similar to the way that humans might act. The purpose was to help Google match advertisers of Adsense ads with the appropriate web pages where the ads would be shown. Initially, Adsense matched keywords on the pages to keywords in the ads and a website owner earned money for every click he received from an ad shown on his site. However, the problem soon arose that millions of pages were being generated simply to contain relevant long-tailed keyword phrases to capture traffic from Google and the resulting profitable clicks on the ads. Content on these machine-generated pages was virtually non-existent and it was a frustrating experience for the person doing a search to only find spam. The problem for Google at this time was that they could not differentiate between these generated pages and the sites which actually contained valuable content.
More techniques, such as stuffing a page with keywords and using reciprocal linking strategies to increase search engine rankings, appeared on the scene which compounded the problem. However, reciprocal linking was soon discounted by Google and partially by Yahoo and MSN when one-way inbound links became more important in rankings than before.
CHANGES BROUGHT ABOUT BY LSI
Themed Sites and Searches
One of the ways LSI has changed the way Googles looks at sites is a shift from "keyword" to "themes". Today, and in the foreseeable future, it will be more advantageous to build sites around a number of related words and synonyms instead of around a single keyword. Google gives us a taste of how the LSI algorithm works and of what is to come in the following example:
Perform the following test: run a search on Google for the phrase “cell phone” and then run another Google search using the tilde key before the phrase: “~cell phone”; the tilde key is used by holding the Shift while pressing the key just to the left of the number 1 key.
In the first instance, Google will return only the phrase cell phone in bold; however, in the second instance, words such as cell phone, cellular phone, wireless phone, and mobile phone will also be returned in bold.
Humans are not looking for pages that contain specific keywords, they are looking for sites build around a theme.
Anchor Text
In the past, SEO techniques have been to focus on a single keyword, or keyword phrase, for both external and internal links. The thinking was that if one particular keyword was bringing in the most traffic, it should be the one used throughout the site. However, with the introduction of LSI, sites that previously were ranked high because of extensive inbound links based on a single keyword have now found their rankings have dropped.
LSI looks for a more normal approach to linking. Instead of one keyword or keyword phrase being used as anchor text, a variety of anchor text is favored.
Current SEO strategies in light of LSI
Although we don’t know all the ramifications of LSI at this time it is nonetheless important to apply what knowledge we do have to achieve and maintain our desired rankings with Google. The following short list of tactics may help you get started:
1. Develop themed sites on a broad scale rather than centering around one keyword.
2. Instead of keyword stuffing or “keyword optimization”, strive for more naturally worded and written pages.
3. With regards to your keywords, try to include synonyms, related words, plurals, and various tenses whenever possible throughout your site.
4. When establishing inbound links, be sure that they do not all go to the same keyword; have inbound links go to a number of different keywords and relevant terms within your site.
5. Do not bother seeking reciprocal links; inbound links are the key to LSI.
6. Use software specifically designed for achieving LSI goals: click here
For the present, Google is at the forefront of LSI with Yahoo and MSN still giving more relevance to keyword specific indexing; however, look for this to change with all search engines in the near future.
|
